BC SPCA asks public to remove bird feeders after salmonella outbreak

-----BC SPCA News Release January 25, 2021-----

The BC SPCA is asking the public to temporarily remove backyard bird feeders in order to stop the spread of a deadly salmonella outbreak that has spread throughout the province. The outbreak is affecting pine siskin birds specifically.

“2021 has gotten off to a rough start for pine siskins on southern Vancouver Island and the rest of the province with a deadly outbreak of salmonella,” says Andrea Wallace, manager of wild animal welfare.

So far in January, the BC SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) has admitted 43 pine siskin birds with many of them showing signs of disease but few surviving.

“Salmonella is a severe and contagious disease so we’re asking people to temporarily remove, or at the very least clean, their bird feeders and bird baths to prevent further spread of the disease,” says Wallace.

The Bridge Beyond the Boundary by Perry Kilby

Our friends Perry and Elizabeth Kilby lived in the upper subdivision of Lac le Jeune for many years as they raised their children. Since their retirement and move away from this area, Perry has written a children’s book, The Bridge Beyond the Boundary. You may recognize Lac le Jeune in some of the locations referred to in his book, even though in this week's Kamloops This Week article, he refers to Kamloops as the area. We know where it really is!

The book is self published and can be purchased from Perry's website.

Posted by Kathy Wyse

Timely Snow Removal on Lac Le Jeune Roads

"Snow falling" by Fellowship of the Rich is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

A couple of weeks ago a Lac Le Jeune resident had to call an ambulance in the middle of the night because of a suspected heart attack. When the ambulance arrived it was not able to reach the individual’s house because the driver was concerned the ambulance would get stuck in the snow. In this instance the individual had to drive his four wheel drive vehicle onto Lac Le Jeune Road and from there he got into the ambulance. Although in this case everything was resolved happily, in another situation it could have been fatal. Without a four wheel drive vehicle, how long would the paramedics have taken to trudge through the snow and carry a sick patient on a stretcher back to the ambulance perhaps a kilometre away?  

If you feel as I do that the roads this winter have not been plowed in a timely fashion please register a complaint with the Yellowhead Road and Bridge.  There is a form to do so on their website, or you can call 1 250 315 0166.  

Thank you,

Pat Burton